Surface-emitting photonic crystal (PC) lasers are promising light sources for the next-generation of compact and efficient light emitters used in data storage, biomedical applications, solid-state lighting and display technologies. See M. Ikeda and S. Uchida, physica status solidi (a) 194, 407 (2002); H. M. Shapiro, Practical Flow Cytometry, 4th ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2003); T. Gabrecht et al., Photochemistry and Photobiology 83, 450 (2007); A. Neumann et al., Opt. Express 19, A982 (2011); and D. Sizov et al., J. Lightwave Technol. 30, 679 (2012). However, in order for these PC lasers to be of practical use, they must be constructed to emit over a large wavelength range, particularly in the violet to visible wavelength regime. Previous realizations of PC lasers required complicated fabrication schemes, had limited tuning range, were reported at longer wavelengths far from the blue-violet regime, or implemented a single gain section. See H. Matsubara et al., Science 319, 445 (2008); S. Ishizawa et al., Appl. Phys. Express 4, (2011); A. C. Scofield et al., Nano Lett. 11, 5387 (2011); T. Kouno et al., Opt. Express 17, 20440 (2009); T. Kouno et al., Electron. Lett. 46, 644 (2010); O. Painter et al., Science 284, 1819 (1999); H. G. Park et al., Science 305, 1444 (2004); L.-M. Chang et al., Applied Physics Letters 89, 071116 (2006); and D. Kim et al., IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 23, 1454 (2011). In particular, emerging applications such as solid-state lighting and display technologies require micro-scale vertically emitting lasers with controllable distinct lasing wavelengths and broad wavelength tunability arranged in desired geometrical patterns to form “super-pixels”. Conventional edge-emitting lasers and current surface-emitting lasers that require abrupt changes in semiconductor bandgaps or cavity length are not a viable solution for this requirement.
Therefore, a need remains for a vertically emitting PC laser array that can be tuned over a large wavelength range.